Fullmetal Alchemist is another one of the series I wish I’ve seen sooner. The reason why I didn’t watch it right away was the number of episodes. Usually, I prefer series that have a maximum of 26 episodes, because series with 50 episodes or more tend to lose its juice somewhere around the middle. It was not the same for Fullmetal Alchemist.
Fullmetal Alchemist definitely kept me entertained. I don’t think there was a time during any of the episodes that I felt bored – there was always something that caught my attention. The storyline definitely had a lot of depth to it and had something for everybody. It had me laughing, crying, and sometimes feeling like I was having a heart attack. Watch it and you’ll know what I’m talking about. A word of caution though – sometimes it tends to be bloody, and possibly cruel (SPOILER – A lot of unexpected deaths). There's also the scientific aspect of it that I like. Alchemy, the law of conservation and even the food chain is embedded in the storyline.
I love all the characters. They too, had a lot of depth to them. Ed can be cheeky and rude sometimes, but he has his morals. I didn’t think he was charismatic at first, but after a few episodes, I started to like him. I like how he gets mad when people made comments about his height. He’s such a good big brother to Al. And Al! He’s probably my favorite characters from the series. I know he’s huge, but he’s just so cute. I really believe that he’s a kid even if he doesn’t look like it. The villains are really convincing too – they really made me hate them. My favorite has to be Envy, because he’s really sinister, and Wrath. He’s a cute kid, but he’s kinda psychotic. Other characters I like are Winry and Hughes.
I think the voice acting contributed a lot to the likeability of the characters. I love the fact that they picked female seiyus to portray the 2 main male characters. As always, Romi Paku did a good job of portraying Ed. Romi Paku’s voice is perfect for teenage boys with a lot of personality. I absolutely love Rie Kugimiya’s depiction of Alphonse Elric. All throughout the series, I kept saying how cute Al’s voice was and how it was one of the most clever voice acting ever. Rie Kugimiya should do less loli roles and choose roles that are more like Al.
One trait I noticed in BONES productions I’ve seen is that their art style is always simple. At first I was disappointed, thinking it was too simple, that the characters looked too stubby, but I learned to appreciate it after a short while. I guess they focused more on the story, which is more important than the art for some. I also realized that Winry is really beautiful, even though her design is not perfect.
The music was good too. I love all of the BGM tracks. They were all beautiful and nicely done. As for the opening and ending themes, I am amazed at the roster of class acts that were involved with FMA’s music. My two favorites would have to be the second opening song, “Ready Steady Go" by L'Arc-en-Ciel and the other would be the fourth opening song, "Rewrite" by ASIAN KUNG-FU GENERATION. "Tobira no Mukou e (To the Other Side of the Door)" by YeLLOW Generation was also nice.
One of the resonating themes that went on throughout the series was the importance of life and being human. Living was important to Ed and Al, and it was the same for their enemies. I also like how they said that life (or the world) isn’t perfect, but that’s why it’s so beautiful. There’s also the importance of family. The characters (especially those with brothers) were all very family-oriented, which is something you don’t see in the real world. It’ll make you cherish your family more.
And with that, I strongly recommend Fullmetal Alchemist to everyone who reads this review. I think that almost anyone will like this anime and will definitely enjoy it. I can confidently say that I haven’t seen an anime like this before.
